Piave (river)

For the cheese, see Piave cheese.

Piave
Origin	Monte Peralba, Valle di Sappada (Province of Belluno)
Mouth	Adriatic near Cortellazzo (frazione of Jesolo)
Basin countries	Italy
Length	220 km
Source elevation	2,037 m
Basin area	4,126.84 km²

Piave (from Latin Plavis ) is a river in north Italy. It begins in the Alps and flows southeast for 220 km (137 mi) into the Adriatic Sea near the city of Venice.

In 1809 it was the scene of a battle during the Napoleonic Wars, in which Franco-Italian and Austrian forces clashed.

In 1918, during World War I, it was the scene of Battle of the Piave River, the last major Austro-Hungarian attack on the Italian Front, which failed after costing Austria-Hungary nearly 200,000 casualties. The Battle of the Piave was the decisive battle of World War I on the Italian Front. The river it is thus called in Italy Fiume Sacro alla Patria (Sacred River of the Homeland) and is mentioned in the patriotic song "La leggenda del Piave". The battle is also described in Andrew Krivak's novel, "The Sojourn".

External links

• Site of italian newspaper "Il Piave"